I Do

I became a mother-in-law for a second time, this past weekend. Todd was married to his sweetheart, Dana Asay, on Saturday. Dana is such a sweet girl and we are excited to officially have her in the family now. She and Todd planned the wedding the way they wanted it and it turned out beautiful. All of my family was there, and all of Deron's that could be there came. Our family is so supportive and great that way. They always support us no matter what we are doing. They are the best!!!!! Yes, as mother of the groom, I even shed a few tears. How could I help but not. (Isn't that what you're supposed to do at weddings and funerals?) We had a few rebels who gave the bride and groom's getaway car a make over. It was done up with all the fixings of chocolate syrup, rice crispies, oreo's, TP and popcans. As they drove away into the night the pop cans that were so carefully tied to the hitch, exploded and let off a great show for those of us who were there to watch. We all laughed and just hoped that they were doing the same. As we marry off the kids, one by one, I feel a little older with each one growing up and moving on. It doesn't seem like we should be old enough to have married kids. But watch out, we will be coming to your kids weddings before you know it, they grow up and become independent all too quick. Todd and Dana are going to live here in Duchesne for now. Todd is working for Express Title and Dana is working for Western Land Realty. They are a really cute couple. Dana has been over to their house off and on for a week or so getting it decorated and putting a "woman's touch" on the place, which it needed desperately. It looks really nice and when they get home from their honeymoon they will have a nice place to live. I am excited to have another daughter in the family. I have loved having a son-in-law and I know that having a daughter-in-law will be just as fun.

I

Family Fun Times

We've had an eventful summer and this past month has been no different. We had our family reunion August 8-9-10 in Provo and Salt Lake. We begin the fun with going to the Mount Timpanogos Temple and doing some temple work. It was really neat. Then off to dinner at Los Hermonos where we indulged ourselves with scrumptious food, the kind that we just can't get out here in the "sticks". I think we all ate our fill and then some, but isn't that how it goes when you eat your favorite foods that you don't get very often? (Or if your like me, any time that you eat food??) Then we all went school shopping. It was like a school shopping marathon for me. Having 3 kids to get done in what amounted to, 4 hours, was stressful to say the least. We were able to complete 1 of the 3 and almost another one. I just didn't want to have to make another trip to the city if I didn't have to, but oh well, we had to go again any way. Then back at our hotel we visited and some of the kids swam. Dayna and Jack came down and had pizza with us and then we all went to bed. The next day we gathered ourselves together and headed out for a hot day in the sun at Lagoon. The kids were really excited about this one. We usually go once a year and its so much more fun with all the cousins and the aunts and uncles. It was a blast. Everyone was beat and tired as we headed home that night. The next day we were spoiled with a yummy dinner again at dad's place, where he cooked his famous "brisket" that only he can make. Its the best and if you haven't ever eaten it, you should. He is a very talented cook and shares that talent every now and again. To our great pleasure, we get to sample his fabulous cooking. We visited and played with Denise's puppies...Riley named them all "Rufus" and I think he was pretty sad when he had to leave all them behind when he went home. Halle hasn't quit talking about driving Uncle Doug's truck. Where she said she made it up to 20 miles per hour....wow if she could just remember how much fun it is to go that slow : ) We all had a great time, with great people....we need to do it again soon.

It lacks anything special!

Okay...I am going to apologize right now for my lack of knowledge with this blogging thing. I look at all of you out there that can blog and have it look presentable. Sorry, because mine looks like an unpresentable mess...I hope that you continue to look at it anyway, despite the spacing messes, the lack of creativity and the boring way that I write it. But I promise over time you will forget how bad it looks or maybe I will become better at the blogging thing. Anyway...don't give up on me, I will keep trying. (see, these are the things that make you feel like 40 is over the hill...the lack of being able to figure out what everyone can figure out!!!)

Girls Day

Last month I took my daughters (except Halle who will get to join in at age 16...although I took her on a special girls weekend all of her own several months ago, no worries, she didn't get left out) on a weekend getaway...Our Girls Weekend...where we plan on making it a yearly tradition. It all began when we left Duchesne and journeyed out to Provo. We went to dinner at the Olive Garden, on of Dayna and Kim's favorite places to go. We then went back to the hotel where we did "mud masks" (isn't that what you're supposed to do on a girls weekend, put mud on your face???). Then we played a game with fun questions that we had to answer to get to know each other "really well"...we learned that everyone has an embarrassing moment and is afraid of something. It was alot of fun to just laugh with each other and take pictures and get to know what makes us tick. We woke up in the morning for a "scrumptious" continental breakfast of powdered eggs and hard biscuits, so we opted not NOT EAT...then we ran out for a marathon day of shopping...yes, that is what you do on a girls weekend as well. We shopped and shopped and shopped some more. We bought shoes, and purses (a must for all women's wardrobes) and tried on clothes we loved, hated and even bought. We had lunch at Panda Express, one of Dana's favorites...and that is where we picked up a hitchhiker...Todd...he happened to find us there (I think that Dana must have had a tracking device attached to her shoe or something, because he just popped in and there we were!) So we fed the hitchhiker and left him there, after all, he couldn't come along, he was a boy and boys are not allowed on our "girls weekends" so we continued on our marathon. I truly believe that Dayna and Dana have some special skills at spotting the "deals". They could come out of a store with 2-3 bags and tell me and Kim (who can't find anything on sale) that they bought of of that for $15. Kim and I were left with nothing to brag about and so off we would go to the next store. We had so much fun that we all wished that we could do it once a month instead of once a year, but decided that we didn't have enough money to do that. But we really had a blast. Dana is so much fun and really fits in to our family. We love her alot and can't wait for the next outing that we will go on. We ended our day with a sigh........and dinner at Cafe Rio~which is one of my VERY favorite places to eat. No we didn't lack for food or for fun. We came home with blisters and bags and alot of happy, happy memories. I think that mothers around the world should take their daughters, daughter in laws and sisters on a weekend like this because it helps you to let your hair down and get to truly find out what great people you are a part of!!!!

The dreaded Birthday!!

Last month was my birthday...the dreaded "40", yes I am really "40" although some of you that didn't know would probably think that I am older and such with my wrinkles and bags that I am constantly trying to chase away...anyway I was feeling a little "old" and wanting to forget that I was even having a birthday, when Deron came and whisked me away for the day on a surprise picnic to Moon Lake. I had never been to Moon lake, at least that my poor "old" brain could remember, but we had a blast. We ate Subway sandwiches and then hiked up a trail along the side of the lake. We hiked for awhile enjoying the gorgeous view until we discovered we were being followed...YES really, we were being followed by this pack of bugs that would attack us at the very thought of us stopping to rest. They would fly down and get tangled in my hair and I hate things in my hair. Anyway... so we quickly made our way back down to the bridge where we began our journey. We took pictures and just relaxed. It was so fun and so pretty. That night Deron and the kids took me to dinner at the Hollow Moon where I ate like a starving "40" year old and enjoyed every minute of it. We all had a great time, laughed and enjoyed the dinner that we didn't have to cook. Afterwards, we came home to a New York Cheese cake that we had bought earlier, with so many calories it could kill a person, and I ate a piece...I know, regrets, regrets, but you only turn 40 once and your life is half over by then anyway so why not eat up...right? Anyway, it was a super fun day and helped me get through my feelings of "being over the hill".

It seems like only yesterday that Deron and I were both dressed in white, along with our darling 13 month old daughter Dayna, and heading to the Salt Lake Temple to be married for Time and All Eternity and to be sealed as a family. Where has the time gone? Two and 1/2 years ago, she and her sweetheart went to the Salt Lake Temple to be married. Now we just celebrated our 21st wedding anniversary. Its hard to believe...where has the time gone? In past years we have celebrated by going on a far away trip. We have gone on a cruise, to Hawaii, to Seattle, to Yellowstone, to Cedar City, to California~but this year we just went on a day trip to Salt Lake. And honestly, we had just as much fun (at least I did). We shopped a little and then went to dinner at the Myan. We watched the divers jump off the cliffs and down into the water. If you haven't ever been I highly recommend it. The food is good, not to die for, but good, but the atmosphere is so fun. I felt like I was somewhere other than Salt Lake. I had a wonderful time and just loved spending the day with my hubby. We don't get to spend that much time together, very often, so I was just sucking it all in. I don't

know if we will ever live long enough to see our 50th wedding anniversary but I sure hope to. My grandma and grandpa Weight's marriage was such a great example to me. They always treated each other like royalty. They loved each other and would do just about anything for each other. They were married for 61 years and I am sure they had problems, who doesn't, but they really cared for each other and took such pride and joy out of taking such good care of one another. I hope I can be more like that.

On our way home we stopped up by Strawberry Reservoir and caught a glimpse of this gorgeous sunset. These are the kind that we saw every single night in Hawaii but I haven't seen one this pretty for a long time. So we got a few pictures of it. I am sure someone really lucky was out sitting in a camp chair watching it from start to finish, but we only saw it for a few minutes and then it was gone. It was amazing. I guess I should get out and enjoy the beautiful colors and creations a little more...huh.

Summer is well under way in our house. I guess for everyone it's probably the same. I always have such great plans for summer, before it begins, and then when it gets here...it seems to run away with me and I don't have enough time for all the fun stuff that we want to do. There is always gardens to be weeded, house work to be done and camps that have to be attended and then the work schedules of everyone that I plan "my fun time" with! Plus the price of traveling to "ANYWHERE" these days puts a little damper on the whole "FUN" part of summer too. We drive the dreaded SUV's that no one wants to be driving with these gas prices. It takes me $150 to fill up and that just doesn't go far enough before we have to fill up again. And then living out here in RURAL UTAH we have to travel at least 30 miles to get to anything, so needless to say, "fun travel" gets put on the back burner. If the price of gas wasn't an option I would travel many places and do many things. But since it is, we haven't done much this year and probably won't. We had plans to go to Disneyland and Universal Studios. But instead we have WATCHED Disney movies and Universal Movies...and live for the moment I guess. I have gone to Youth Conference with Kimberly and Cameron this summer, which was really fun. That is the best part of being involved with the youth in our ward, is getting to be with my own kids on fun activities. We went to Camp Williams, which if you don't know, is a military base. We were whipped right into saying "Yes Sargant"and feeling like we were in the Army. It was kind of intimidating to be there and feel like a peon. We went to Camp Kosopholis up Emigration Canyon and worked with the mentally challenged teenagers that were attending the summer camp there. It was so neat and really rewarding to serve these sweet people. All of the kids really loved it. We then got to go to Utah Food Bank and help sort canned food and put it into boxes for those that might need it. There again, the kids all loved it and it made us all feel so blessed to be able to help and yet come home to our cupboards of food. It was a rewarding experience for me and my kids. I am glad that we got to go. Deron's brother and his family came out to visit for a week, on their way to Pennsylvania where he just took a job as a professor at Penn State. We had fun while they were here. We had BBQ and a picnic and went to the outdoor Theater over in Vernal to watch Annie. That was fun. It was fun to get to visit with them especially since it might be years before we see them again. The girls and I went out and visited with Dayna and Jack a couple of times this summer. Its always so fun to see them. They both work alot so it wasn't a long visit, but we got to see them. We went shopping and bought a few fun things. That is the one thing that I DON'T like about living where I do, there is not any shopping. And yes, I like many other women, love to shop. I am not addicted to it, but it is a stress release for me and takes me away from my little world here. So yes, I do love to shop and don't like it when I can't go as often as I would like. Summer is busy, Todd and Erik don't live with us anymore so I don't get to see  them a lot, they just live across town, but they both work and seem to be super busy with their own lives. Which is good. They are both becoming men and working for a living. I am going to try and post some pics of the kids. I don't have any recent ones of Todd or Erik, because they don't go too many places with us. I will have to catch them and get some of them so I can post them by the next time a write anything on my blog. Happy days to you all!!!!